Protect & Inspire Street Connected Children, Nepal

We would like to share with you a case study of one of our children, who we have been working with over a number of years.

In February 2019, 10-year-old Samir was found by the police on the streets in Pokhara. He was identified as an at-risk child and referred to Kidasha’s rehabilitation programme by the local authorities.

Samir’s parents had separated and his mother had left. His father was an unemployed alcoholic with a heart condition and often violent towards Samir. This pushed Samir onto the streets where influenced by other street-connected children he survived by begging, smoking and inhaling glue to repress his hunger.

While staying at our centre Samir’s behaviour gradually improved and he re-enrolled in school.  With support from our social workers, Samir started to reconnect with his family, his father stopped drinking and he started to spend some weekends and school holidays back at home.

In March 2020 with a strict lockdown imminent due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the project arranged for Samir to stay at home with his father and grandmother, with a commitment to provide emergency food and sanitation supplies to ease the financial burden on the family. However as Covid restrictions began to ease, increasing friction between Samir and his father, who had started drinking again, meant that Samir started to drift back to the street and his old habits.

Samir’s social worker persuaded him to return to our centre, giving him the security and routine he so badly needed.  In parallel, the project continued to support Samir’s family to improve their home situation, a challenge exacerbated by his father’s ongoing struggle with alcoholism and being diagnosed with cancer.

At the centre Samir’s behaviour improved enormously, he attended school regularly  and continued to visit his family at weekends. Unfortunately, he faced another setback when his father passed away in November 2022. However, thanks to the commitment and tenacity of the project staff, Samir continued to rebuild his life and a notable success was him being elected to be Chair of the Child Club at the centre, actively supporting other children facing complex challenges.

In June 2023 Samir left the centre and now lives with his aunt and his grandmother in a  slum area on the edge of the city. The project continues to support the family with a food stipend and also provides Samir with the things he needs to go to school (uniform, books etc) – support that will continue for at least two years.

Looking to the Future

Now almost 15, Samir has adjusted back to life in the community where he is quickly becoming a confident young person. While he works hard at his schooling, he still struggles academically and next year will be looking at alternatives for his development, such as apprenticeships or vocational training.

Samir’s story highlights the complex challenges facing children living in urban poverty. Whilst initially referred to the project as a matter of child protection, it quickly became clear that he also needed support to access education. Kidasha is a values driven organisation and perseverance is one of our key values. We do whatever it takes to achieve lasting change. We don’t shy away from tackling complex problems and we do not walk away from children who understandably have ups and downs on their journey towards a safe and bright future. 

Thank you for your continued support, without which we could never have acheived what we have.  However, sadly there are many more children like Samir that we would like to reach.

The Kidasha Team